A Family's Journey
by leximaddi
Summary: Kurt is attacked while home alone on a Friday night. The members of the Hummel-Hudson clan all handle this brutal attack differently. Follow the family as they deal with the aftermath of the attack and attempt to put their family back together.
1. Loss

**Disclaimer: **Glee and the characters belong to Ryan Murphy.

**Warning: **Sexual assault, language, minor violence

**A/N: **Written in response to a prompt on the glee_angst_meme on LiveJournal that asked for a story about how the different members of the Hummel-Hudson family handle the aftermath of Kurt being sexually assaulted. Any comments/reviews are greatly appreciated!

**I. Loss**

Kurt kind of enjoyed the peace and quiet that Friday nights brought. Sure, he felt a bit lonely sometimes, with his dad and Carole out on their weekly date night and Finn with Rachel every Friday but he busied himself with sketching out some designs he had been tossing around in his mind or perfecting his pitch for a particularly difficult song.

Besides, he was looking forward to his plans on Monday with Sam. Sam had recently moved into the neighborhood at the beginning of the summer and the two boys were taking it slow and tentative, feeling out the relationship, which was very new for both teenagers.

This Friday, he sat, cross-legged on his bed, iPod buds in ears, music turned up high and sketchbook on lap.

He was so engrossed in his own world that he didn't notice the door creep open or the man slip down the basement stairs before it was too late.

Kurt instantly cried out as large fingers flung his sketchbook and iPod away and clamped his hand over the teenager's mouth.

"I've been watching you for so long," he whispered, harshly.

Kurt's eyes widened and he tried to dislodge the hand from his mouth but the man was too strong.

"You're going to make this easy for me, right boy?" the man said as his other hand clamped on his ankles and dragged them down, pulling Kurt out of the cross-legged position.

At those words, Kurt intensified his struggle, as if on autopilot, trashing and trying to bite down on the flesh.

But it was no use. The man laughed softly as Kurt's small fists pounded on the intruder's vast, hard chest.

Kurt could hear his heart echoing his accelerated pounding.

Oh God, he thought. He wasn't stupid. With the way the man was talking, the things he was saying, the way his erection pushed into his side-Kurt knew exactly was going to happen and he was totally and utterly helpless to the whole thing.

Tears finally spilled—hot, burning droplets of terror.

The man was straddling him, groping at the elastic of his pajama bottoms.

He was still struggling but the fight was starting to feel like a cruel joke.

The man looked at the boy. "Make a sound and you'll be dead before anyone finds you," he hissed before taking his hand away.

Kurt gasped and heaved heavily. "Please...don't," he rasped. He hated himself for pleading but it was almost reflexive.

"It won't be that bad," the man chuckled as he pulled Kurt's pants and boxers down and off in one swift and quick motion. "After all, everyone knows you love cock." Hands were now under his shirt, flicking at his nipples.

Kurt's heart clenched. His eyes darted around him, looking for something to hit him with but found nothing within reach. He tried moving away but the man's weight pinned him down.

Slowly, Kurt's body and mind shut down and his body went limp, the only sound emitting from the teenager were uncontrolled sobs and gasps of pain.

**xxoxx**

Carole pecked Burt on the lips before getting out of the car.

"I'll be back in an hour," Burt said.

Carole laughed. "It can wait until tomorrow, dear."

Burt smiled. "I know, but you know me, I'd rather take inventory now, so I can order what I need tomorrow, first thing in the morning."

"All right, see you in an hour. I'll be waiting for you," she said, seductively.

Carole smiled to herself as Burt waited in the driveway until she was safely inside the house. She loved his protective nature.

Carole quickly locked the door and tossed her keys on the kitchen table. She glanced at the clock. Forty minutes to twelve.

Finn's curfew was midnight and she chose to stay downstairs until her son came home.

She turned to the sink and started washing the dishes, humming softly as she thought about her night. For such a sport-loving, auto-fixing man, Burt could be quite the romantic.

Finally, she turned off the water, deciding to go down to the basement and see if Kurt wanted a late-night snack or drink. The boy never seemed to eat much.

It wasn't until she was at the entrance of the basement, in front of the closed door that she realized that something was horribly wrong.

She could hear sobs, loud and painful, mixed with rough, aggressive grunts.

Panic and terror was setting in but she quickly curbed it, demanding herself to remain calm. Kurt needs you, she thought, clearly her mind of anything but productive thoughts.

She ran to the fireplace in the living room and grabbed a heavy, brass poker. Her hand shook as she slowly turned the knob to the door leading into the basement. She let it creep open and quietly stepped onto the first stair. She took a few more silent steps until Kurt was in view.

And the sight in front of her practically incapacitated her and she couldn't move.

At first, all she registered were limbs and bare skin and then the image cleared, revealing a sight that she knew would haunt her sleep for the rest of her life.

There, on the bed, was her almost-stepson, on his back, naked and pushed into the bed by a massive, equally naked man. The intruder was straddling the small boy, bent over, sucking aggressively on Kurt's skin and trusting viscously into the teenager.

Kurt was lying there, his head turned to the side, eyes shut tightly and face drenched in tears as pained sobs wracked his body.

Oh God.

_Kurt._

_Burt's son._

_Almost-stepson._

_Kurt._

_Snarky_

_Innocent_

_Kurt._

And finally, she snapped out of the shock and flew into a rage she didn't even know she possessed.

She practically flung down the stairs, a loud, enraged wail leaving her lips. "GET THE FUCK OFF OF HIM!"

The man stopped moving.

Kurt's eyes snapped open.

And Carole lifted the poker high and swung it down hard on the back of the man's head before he had a chance to see who had cried out.

Without thinking, she lifted it again and swung two more times, until the man fell limply on top of the teenager.

"Please, please, get him off of me, oh God…gethimoffofme gethimoffofme..." The small, barely-there pleas jolted her out of the blinding rage. Kurt was gasping under the weight of the man, his small hands pushing against him.

"Oh God. Kurt," she rasped, tears racing down her face as she started pulling at the man, trying to drag him off of the child.

She was sobbing now. It took a good five minutes to finally push the man onto the floor and the sight of the man's impossibly large genitalia being pulled out of the small teenager was something else that would never leave her nightmares.

She felt dizzy and sick.

Kurt's legs had been forced apart and bent. Blood pooled between his legs and on his thighs. He was breathing too fast and hissing in pain as he tried to drag his legs together.

Carole quickly pulled the sheets over his lower body. Her heart was racing and she couldn't think.

What did she have to do?

She ran to the front of the bed and kneeled in front of the hyperventilating child.

"Kurt, Kurt!"

She didn't know what to do.

"Oh God. Sweetheart. Listen. You need to breath slowly. Come on honey, please, Kurt."

His breathing was hitched and out-of-control.

Her fingers fumbled with her cell phone. The moment she heard the emergency operator answer her call, she spoke rapidly, nearly as panicked as the brutalized boy in front of her.

"My son, he's been attacked...he, he...he's breathing too fast...he's bleeding...it looks really bad...Kurt, come on honey, slowly, in-out, in-out."

Her mind didn't even register that she had called the boy her son.

"Ma'am, an ambulance has been dispatched to 523 Murray Hill Drive. Keep talking to him, talk him through controlling his breathing..."

Carole let the phone slip away.

She needed to calm herself down if she was going to help Kurt.

She inhaled deeply and looked at Kurt. He was still breathing dangerously and his legs were still spread underneath the sheets.

She placed her hand tentatively on his cheek. He instantly flinched but she didn't remove the hand. She let her thumb rub away some of the tears.

"Shhh, sweetie, I'm not going to hurt you," she said soothingly. He closed his eyes, tears forced out from underneath his eyelids.

"Breath with me, Kurt," she said. She let her thumb move over his cheek in time with her breathing instructions. "In...out...in...out...in...out..."

Gradually, his breathing slowed.

"Do you think you can move," she asked.

He tried to move his legs. He drew them together but gasped painfully, his breathing hitching again. New tears escaped from the corner of his closed eyes. He shook his head.

"It's okay, just keep breathing with me. In...out...in...out..."

She held back the tears and the strong desire to be violently sick. She couldn't let him see how badly this was affecting her.

* * *

**A/N: **As always, any comments are greatly appreciated!


	2. Shock

**Disclaimer: **Glee and the characters belong to Ryan Murphy.

**Warning: **Talk of sexual assault, language

**Thanks to my lovely beta, _Dusty Dreams_!**

**A/N: **Thank you to all my reviewers, you guys made my day :D! As always, any comments are greatly appreciated!

**II. Shock**

Carole stayed kneeling there, thumb rubbing his face gently and the other hand squeezing his hand.

She had started singing lullabies that she used to sing to Finn as a child when she heard the sirens.

Soon paramedics and police swarmed the basement, two rushing to her side and one bending down to the unconscious monster on the floor.

The EMTs seemed to take one look at the scene—a naked man on the floor and a naked boy covered with a bloody sheet—and understood what had transpired.

Carole rushed up the stairs behind Kurt's stretcher and hopped into the back of the ambulance.

Kurt was terrified. She could hear his heart pounding as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"We have to try and stop the bleeding," an EMT said, standing at the end of the stretcher and looking at Carole.

Carole sucked in some air but nodded mutely. Kurt cried out when the vehicle jolted as it moved. His hand unconsciously groped for something to grip. Carole grabbed his hand and made soothing sounds.

He gasped as the EMT's gloved hand disappeared under the sheets. His eyes flung open, wild with terror. "NO!"

"Shhh, he needs to do this sweetheart."

Large tears spilled down his face. "Please...I...I don't..."

"I know, baby," she whispered, her own tears no longer able to remain dormant.

Her other hand fumbled for her phone before she realized that she had left it on the basement floor.

Damn it, she thought. She needed to call Burt and Finn.

Kurt was looking at her, watching her intently, as if trying to distract himself from the hands touching him.

"I need to call your father," she finally said.

Kurt tensed. "Don't...please don't."

"Kurt..."

"I-I don't want him to-." His sentence was cut off by a gut-wrenching scream. "Stop...oh God...stop..."

Carole gasped and tightened her grip on the boy. "They need to do this," she repeated. She felt so cruel.

"We're here," the EMT said, ignoring the outburst.

**xxoxx**

Carole ran along side the stretcher as medical staff called out information about Kurt and jargon she didn't understand.

One doctor ordered a nurse to get an SA kit and Carole was pretty sure she knew what that entailed and it drained whatever color was left in her face. Kurt would not be able to handle that.

He was quickly transferred to a cot. No one had ordered her outside, so she stayed at his side, holding his hand.

He was starting to lose control of his breathing. Voices were speeding through the air and multiple sets of hands were touching him. His hand was clammy and his breathing was becoming more and more irregular. His eyes darted around the room, frantically, confused and terrified.

"He going into hypovolaemic shock," called a doctor.

"What?" Carole cried.

"He's bleeding internally. He's lost too much blood," someone else said, ignoring the quasi-mother

His eyes were fluttering.

"Kurt," she cried.

An oxygen mask was snapped over his face and someone was lifting his legs into stirrups.

His eyes fluttered shut and his hand went limp.

Carole was in a daze. What just happened?

Someone put their hands around her shoulder and escorted her out of the room, despite her weak protests.

"Ms. Hudson," started the woman.

Her hands were shaking. "Kurt, what's happening to him?"

"Kurt is going to be fine. He's lost some blood due to significant external and internal bleeding and that's caused him to go into shock. But he's going to come through. We've already pulled up his medical files. Right now they're putting him on a blood transfusion and they'll monitor his heart rate."

The doctor had led her to a chair. "Is there anyone you need to call?"

"Oh God. Yes." She looked at her watch. It was just passed midnight. Finn would be home.

The doctor patted the phone sitting on table beside them. "I'll be out as soon as I have more information. A police officer will probably stop by to take a statement. We'll take good care of him. I promise," she said, squeezing her shoulder.

As if on autopilot, Carole picked up the phone and dialed Finn's cell phone number.

"Mom, listen, I know I'm late but I'm driving home now," came Finn's voice.

She closed her eyes, endless number of tears still flowing. It was so good to hear her son's voice.

"Finn," she rasped.

There was a pause on the other side. "Mom? Is everything okay."

"I-I need you to go to the auto shop and pick up Burt. Come to the hospital," she managed.

"What!" he cried. "Are you okay? Mom! Oh God!"

"I'm fine, sweetie."

She could hear the large sigh and then another pause. "Then…Kurt?" his voice was confused and she could hear the fear creeping back in.

She barely choked back the sob. "You need to pick Burt up, Finn. If-if I tell him first, he'll come on his own and…and I don't think it's…it's wise for him to drive."

"Mom. What's going on?"

"Please, baby, just come to the hospital. Ask for Kurt at the front desk."

And after she hung up, she unraveled. She dropped her head in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably, all the panic and fear and anger finally becoming too much.

In the back of her mind she thought, if this was how she reacted for a child she had only known for a few months, she could only imagine how destroyed Burt would be.

**xxoxx**

Finn pulled the Navigator that he had borrowed from Kurt into the auto shop. His heart would not stop pounding and his mind was racing with what little his mother had told him.

What could have happened to Kurt? He had tried calling his mother back but she wasn't picking up her phone. He vaguely remembered now that they weren't allowed to use their cell phones in the hospital when Quinn was having her baby.

He flung himself out of the SUV. Burt was in the back, behind his desk, bent over a large notebook.

He looked up when the tall teenager rushed into the room.

"Oh, Finn, what are you doing here? You were supposed to be home twenty minutes ago."

Suddenly, the older man seemed to register the worry etched on the jock's face.

"Finn, what's wrong?" he asked, standing up abruptly.

"I-I don't know. Mom called. Kurt's in the hospital."

Every ounce of color drained from the mechanic's face. He fumbled for his keys. "Hospital?" he said, as if he needed to confirm the answer.

"Yeah."

He was out of the shop before Finn could say anything else. Finn managed to arrive outside just as Burt swung the door to his truck open.

"No, Burt, let me drive."

"Damn it," yelled Burt as he dropped his keys, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

Finn picked up the keys and Burt mutely moved to the passenger seat.

Burt was punching numbers into his phone as they drove.

"I already tried mom. She's not picking up."

"Damn it!" he yelled, slamming his fist on the dashboard. "She didn't say anything?"

"Only that we needed to come now."

Burt leaned his head back and he shut his eyes. He was breathing heavily and muttering to himself. Finn couldn't hear what he was saying so he concentrated on driving.

The minute he parked the car in front of Emergency, Burt sprang out of the car. Finn followed close behind.

"Kurt Hummel," Burt demanded at the front desk.

The woman started typing idly.

"Damn it woman, I need to know where my son is."

"Mr. Hummel?"

Both almost-stepfather and stepson spun around.

"Yes!"

"I'm Dr. Albo," she said as she led the duo into another room.

"Where's my son?" Finn could hear the barely-controlled panic in his voice.

"He's being moved to a room in Pediatrics. He's going to be fine, Mr. Hummel. You'll be able to see him as soon as possible."

"W-what happened?"

Only then did the doctor seem to realize that they did not know.

Burt grabbed Finn's forearm and Finn knew he needed all the strength he could get.

"Burt?"

"Mom!" Finn cried as she came into sight. Carole rushed forward.

"Carole," Burt gasped and the woman quickly wrapped her arms around him.

"What happened to him?" he said, his voice impossibly small. "What happened to my son?"

Carole untangled herself from Burt.

"Mom? What happened?"

"Ms. Hudson, if you want, I can…" started the doctor.

"No…no. Can I have a moment with my family?"

"Of course," she said before leaving.

"I think you should all sit down."

Finn sat down immediately. Burt remained standing.

"Carole." His voice was pleading and terrified.

Carole inhaled deeply. "Someone broke into the house while we were out."

Finn gasped. Kurt would have been all alone.

"No," came Burt's hushed voice.

"He-he was…" She stopped talking and looked at Finn and then Burt. "The man was assaulting him…" She closed her eyes, a single tear tracing down her already tear-stained face. "Sexually."

At first, Finn thought he had heard his mom incorrectly. He felt the sudden rage radiating from the man beside him and knew he hadn't heard wrong.

Burt stumbled backwards, his head shaking from side to side.

"No, no, you're wrong."

"Burt, honey." Carole stepped forward. Burt stepped backward again, knocking against a chair.

He kicked the chair violently. "NO!" he said.

The doctor came running in.

"Where's my son," he yelled. "I want my son." His entire body was shaking and it kind of scared Finn.

"You need to calm down sir."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" he exclaimed. "Tell me where my son is. NOW!"

He turned to Finn's mom, tears finally escaping onto his pale face. "Carole?" he said, his voice suddenly small and scared. "Where's my son?"

* * *

**A/N:** I'm looking forward to hearing what you all think! More up soon.


	3. Injustice

**Disclaimer: **Glee and the characters belong to Ryan Murphy.

**Warning: **Talk of sexual assault, language

**Thanks to my awesome beta, **_**Dusty Dreams**_**!**

**A/N: **I was so happy to read the reviews I got for the second chapter. And as I can't reply to my unregistered reviewers, your reviews are so appreciated.

Please comment away :D!

**III. Injustice**

He was impossibly small, buried in the hospital blankets. Dark, angry bruises littered his face, neck and any other exposed skin. His lips were swollen and Burt even thought he saw marks that looked like teeth marks. He could only imagine how his skin looked under the hospital gown.

He sank into the chair beside the bed, forcing back the sobs. Emotions pulsed through his body, muddled and intense. He tried to keep them at bay.

He slipped his hand into his son's hand and buried his face into Kurt's hair, his body shaking, unable to control the emotions.

He pressed his lips against the boy's forehead, like he used to when Kurt was scared or sad as a small child. "I'm so sorry," he gasped, over and over again. "I'm so s-sorry."

A hand fell onto his shoulder and squeezed gently. He reluctantly lifted his head and looked at his girlfriend through bloodshot eyes.

"It's not fair," he whispered.

"I know," Carole said, softly.

Finn was standing just outside the door, looking in as if he didn't know what to do.

The doctor stepped passed the teenager and looked at the couple.

"I wanted to go over the details of your son's condition, Mr. Hummel."

Burt nodded mutely, not really trusting his voice. He placed his free hand over the hand on his shoulder, silently indicating that Carole could stay.

Carole looked at her son. "Finn, Dear, can you go down to the cafeteria and grab us some coffees?"

Finn nodded and practically ran away from the room.

The doctor shut the door.

"He's going to make a full recovery. We gave him a blood transfusion and stopped the bleeding. The damage was extensive but I'm confident that he'll heal nicely. He might be in some significant pain for a while. We gave him something for the pain. He should wake up in the next few hours."

Burt nodded.

"Thank you," Carole said.

"I preformed a sexual assault examination," the doctor continued, her voice sympathetic.

Burt flinched at the words.

The doctor sighed. "Results have been sent to the police department. After I'm done, two detectives need to speak with you. And a counselor will meet with you to explain some of the options available for everyone's emotional recovery."

She paused and looked at Burt.

"I will also need to discuss testing for sexually transmitted infections. He'll have to come in a few times for blood work and other tests."

"No," Burt rasped. "Please, God, please."

"We will cross that bridge if and when we get there, Mr. Hummel."

There was a knock on the door. The doctor turned and nodded at the two people standing outside the door.

"These are Detectives Michaels and Patel," introduced Dr. Albo.

Carole made the introductions as Burt continued to sit there, grasping his son's hand.

"We've already taken Ms. Hudson's statement and we've identified your son's attacker," started the female detective.

Burt finally looked up, eyes blazing, just as Finn returned, holding two steaming cups of coffee.

Burt stood up, not sure if he was going to be able to control his anger. He didn't want to be like this in front of his son, even if he was unconscious.

"Finn," he said. "Will you stay here with Kurt?"

Finn nodded, eyes wide and uncertain. "Y-yeah, sure."

The parents and detectives stepped out into the colorful hallway of the Pediatrics ward. A young couple stood nearby at the nurse's station talking softly to a nurse.

"His name is Patrick Booth," one of the detectives started.

_Patrick Booth_.

The name sent his mind reeling into a place that scared him. A place that was uninhibited and murderous.

"He lived in your neighborhood. It's likely that he watched Kurt and determined when he would be home alone. He broke through the back sliding doors."

Burt closed his eyes, the guilt overwhelming.

"He's a convicted sex offender. He served two years for sexually assaulting an eighteen-year-old man in 2007."

Burt's eyes snapped open and he thought he was seeing red.

"This probably won't go to trial. Given the physical evidence, the break-and-entry, Ms. Hudson's statement and his prior conviction. It should put him away for quite some time."

"Two years?" he hissed. His hands curled into fists, his entire body shaking with rage.

"Sir, he should get more than that."

"That perverted bastard did this before and all he got was _two_ fucking years," he screamed.

The couple standing by the nurses' station snapped their heads towards Burt as he yelled, looking alarmed and morbidly curious.

"Sir, he was convicted in a court of…"

"Don't you give me your fucking shit about the law! He should have rotted in hell before he had a chance to do this to my son." His voice was quickly becoming raw as he hollered.

Hot, angry tears built in the corner of his eyes.

"Burt," Carole said, soothingly.

He turned to his girlfriend. "Carole," he said hoarsely. "If he was still locked up, this wouldn't have happened."

Carole just gripped his forearm.

"What kind of justice is this?" he said, turning on the detectives. "You people knew what kind of monster he was and you still let him loose and my son suffers because of it!"

"I understand how you feel," said a detective.

"How could you possibly understand?" he asked, finally falling apart. "How can you even say you understand? I left my son alone and some monster decided to tear him apart. My son…oh God. He's so innocent, so smart, so strong…you have no idea what this is going to do to him. _No idea_."

"I'm sorry," placated the detective. She slipped a card in Carole's hand. "We'll be in touch."

"You had better keep that bastard behind bars or so help me, I will find him and rip him to shreds, starting with his balls!"

After the detectives left, Carole wrapped her arms around the man and he buried his face in her shoulder.

"This is all so wrong, Carole."

"I know." She guided him to a couch.

"I know I've had to come to terms with his sexuality but all I want for him is to be happy and safe."

He hiccupped.

"He's never even kissed a boy before, Carole." Tears soaked his shirt. "Is he ever going to be happy again? Will he ever feel safe again?"

"He will, Burt."

"How, Carole? How?"

"You said it yourself, sweetheart. He's so strong."

* * *

**A/N:** Let me know what you think! Next chapter, we'll see more of Kurt!


	4. Nothingness

**Disclaimer: **Glee and the characters belong to Ryan Murphy.

**Warning: **Talk of sexual assault, language

**Thanks to my amazing beta, **_**Dusty Dreams**_**!**

**A/N: **Ladies and gents, thank you so much for the reviews! They make my day. This was a hard chapter to write. I would love to hear what you think.

**IV. Nothingness**

Burt, Carole and Finn sat silently in the room.

Burt sat closest to Kurt, his hand intertwined with his son's fingers.

Carole sat in a chair opposite the bed, while Finn leaned against the wall.

"He can't sleep in the basement anymore," Burt said softly as he stroked the back of Kurt's hand.

"He can have my room," Finn said, referring to the former guestroom that they had turned into his bedroom. "I-I can sleep in the basement."

Burt nodded. "He loved that basement."

**xxoxx**

Carole stood in the cafeteria with her son as they waited in line for coffee.

"Mom?"

"Yes honey."

"Is-is he going to be okay?"

She stood there silently, images of that man towering over the small boy, pushing into him viciously, moaning and grunting with pleasure, invading her mind.

"I hope so, Finn."

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Whatever he needs, Finn. We won't know what that is now. _He_ won't know what that is now."

Finn nodded, even as he crinkled his eyebrows and frowned.

Carole grabbed his hand. "Your heart is so big, Finn. You'll know what to do."

**xxoxx**

"I'm going to go back to the house," Carole announced, standing by her boyfriend. "The police are gone and I want to clean up the basement before we go home."

Burt closed his eyes, knowing that she was the only one of them who had seen the basement, knowing that she wanted to protect them from seeing what she saw.

He felt cowardly for not protesting, for letting her protect him from those images, even though that meant that she had to deal with them alone.

He stood up and followed Carole out of the room, leaving Finn with Kurt.

"Carole."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"Burt…"

"For—for everything."

Carole took his hand and pressed her lips into his open palm. "I'll be back."

**xxoxx**

Carole stepped into the house, which felt oddly foreign to her. She wrapped her arms around herself and prepared herself for the sight that would greet her in the basement.

She didn't want to go down there but she was not about to let her own discomfort stop her from protecting Burt and Finn from seeing anything remotely reminiscent of what she had witnessed.

Sucking in some air deeply, she walked into the basement, trying to concentrate on the task at hand.

The police had removed the bloody sheets and poker and even cleaned away the blood from the floor, where the intruder had lay, bleeding from where she had slammed the poker into his head.

Kurt's iPod and sketchbook were strewn on the other side of the room and her phone lay open beside the bed. Some books had fallen off of the bookshelf.

But the disarray of the room was nothing compared to the state of the bed.

It hurt her eyes to see the blood and semen stained into the mattress, shattering any illusion that the bastard had not spent a long time with her boyfriend's son before she showed up.

She quickly decided to call a 24-hour service to dispose of the mattress from the basement and replace it with one of the mattresses she had saved from their old house and stored in the garage.

Two hours later, Carole stared at the neatly arranged basement from the staircase, tears clinging to her eyelashes. The despairing emotions seemed endless but she only allowed herself to give into to them when she was not in the presence of any of the boys.

Everything was so wrong. The perfectly arranged room mocked her, like it was wearing a mask, disguising the truth that would forever linger within the four walls—the truth of lost innocence and profound cruelty.

It seemed wrong to make her son sleep in the room but at least he had not been the one to discover the intruder in the basement. He (and Burt) did not have the same memories to contend with and she clung to that small, merciful thought.

**xxoxx**

Kurt opened his eyes as he slowly regained consciousness.

At first, he thought he was in his basement, waking up from a restless night—it was the only explanation for the pure exhaustion he felt.

Then he noticed the differences. It was a gradual realization—the odd beeping noises, the stale smell, the stiff, uncomfortable sheets and finally (as his vision became clearer), the stark white walls that were immediately indicative of a hospital room.

Confusion set in before panic. His eyes swung around the room and only then did he see Finn sprawled out in a chair against the wall, head lolling against his chest as he slept.

His eyes wandered to the door. His father was standing just outside the open door, talking quietly with a woman in a lab coat. His jaw was set in anger and even from the distance Kurt could see his eyes blazing.

Kurt quickly racked his brain, trying to figure out what landed him in the hospital and made his dad so upset.

And then the memories rushed forward, like a rabid dog let loose from behind a metal door.

He had been alone in his basement…

He gasped as the images, sounds, smells, tastes and touches (pain) assaulted his mind.

_No._

He gripped the sheets. He felt like he couldn't breath and his stomach was revolting against him.

He gasped for air, flinging himself out of the bed. He had to rip the IV from his hand but he hardly registered the pain. He ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut and locked it.

He barely made it to the toilet bowl before he started retching violently. The smell of regurgitated food just fed into his nausea. He leaned his forehead against the rim of the toilet, feeling utterly drained.

He could hear urgent knocking on the door.

"Kurt! Kurt! Please, son, let me in," came the desperate voice. His dad sounded so broken.

Kurt flushed the toilet before rolling back on his heels and sitting heavily on the floor, hissing slightly in discomfort. He was surprised that he wasn't in more physical pain—it certainly did not match up with the memories currently imploding his mind. Painkillers, he guessed absently.

In any other circumstance, he would be disgusted with himself for sitting on a _hospital_ bathroom floor but nothing seemed to really matter anymore.

He leaned his head against the wall. He tried to concentrate on the peeling wallpaper lining the opposite wall, scowling at the disgustingly perky pattern of rabbits but it was useless.

He could see the man looming over him, demanding and aggressive, forcing him to do things that he once fantasized about doing with someone he was attracted to when he was ready (perhaps Sam?).

_Not anymore._

The violence and pain and dominance, the sense of helplessness and shame and self-loathing, would forever taint him.

He stood up slowly, the sounds around him seemingly muffled as he came to a slow conclusion.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror. Dark, angry bruises jumped out on his face and neck. They meant nothing. He meant nothing.

Nothing really mattered anymore. He allowed the numbness to take over his entire body and soul.

The door swung open and his dad stepped in, a key clutched in his hand, the doctor and Finn standing just behind him, looking in worriedly.

Kurt looked at his dad. He could feel the emotions trying to break through his newly constructed shield as he watched the pain, panic and anxiety play on his father's face.

He had promised to protect his dad from that pain.

Kurt continued to stare, watching his dad's broken expression. He had failed his father.

Burt rushed in and wrapped his arms around the small teenager, clutching him tightly as Kurt stood there limply, fighting the emotions and embracing the nothingness.

* * *

**A/N:** Let me know what you think! Next chapter, we'll see more Finn!


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